Pet copolymer composition with enhanced mechanical properties and stretch ratio, articles made therewith, and methods

ABSTRACT

A container is made from a preform comprising a PET Copolymer comprising a diol component having repeat units from ethylene glycol and a non-ethylene glycol diol component and a diacid component having repeat units from terephthalic acid and a non-terephthalic acid diacid component. The total amount of non-ethylene glycol diol component and non-terephthalic acid diacid component is present in the poly(ethylene terephthalate) copolymer in an amount from about 0.2 mole percent to less than 2.2 mole percent. The container is useful in packaging beverages and corresponding methods are disclosed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority Under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S.provisional patent application serial No. 60/423,221 filed on Nov. 1,2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to preforms and their containers made withpoly(ethylene terephthalate)-based resin compositions that possess lowlevels diol and acid modification, such as naphthalenedicarboxylic acidand diethylene glycol. More particularly, this invention relates to lowstretch ratio preforms and their containers, which exhibit enhancedmechanical properties relative to containers made using conventionalpoly(ethylene terephthalate)-based resin compositions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Poly(ethylene terephthalate)-based resins, which are commonlyreferred to in the industry simply as “PET” even though they may andoften do contain minor amounts of additional components, have widelybeen used to make containers for carbonated soft drink, juice, water andthe like due to their excellent combination of mechanical and gasbarrier properties. As the use of plastics such as PET for packagingincreases, concerns regarding the environmental impact of plastic wasteare becoming more and more significant. Source reduction is a preferredstrategy for reducing the environmental impact of plastic containers.Source reduction saves resources and energy; however, with PETadditional source reduction is difficult to achieve, because of thephysical performance requirements necessary for the major applicationsfor this polymer.

[0004] One source reduction opportunity that does exist is related tothe degree of material utilization achieved in blow-molding of PETpreforms into PET containers.

[0005] The degree of material utilization is defined as the amount ofunoriented polymer present in the sidewall of the container. For largesized containers, the amount of material utilization is already high,and further increases offer limited opportunity for source reduction.However, for small sized containers, the amount of material utilizationis significantly lower, with degrees of material utilization typicallyranging from 80 to 85 percent. Improving material utilization usingconventional PET can be achieved by increasing the stretch ratio of thepreform. Increasing the stretch ratio of the preform provides an addedbenefit by increasing the mechanical properties of the container,because the stiffness of PET is directly affected by the degree oforientation imposed by stretching the polymer. However, there is asignificant cost associated with increasing the preform stretch ratio.Increasing the preform stretch ratio necessarily means increasing thewall thickness of the preform, which adversely impacts injection moldingand blow molding cycle times. This consequently consumes more energy andincreases the capital and operating cost for making PET containers.

[0006] Previous methods of source reduction have focused simply onreducing the weight of the container, with a concomitant reduction inthe sidewall thickness of the resulting container. This approachinherently sacrifices the mechanical integrity of the container, sincesidewall rigidity relates to the second power of the thickness. Althoughin principle the sidewall rigidity of a container could be maintained byincreasing the modulus of the polymer, in practice this is difficult toachieve. In addition, sidewall rigidity varies only to the first powerof modulus; therefore, a much higher increase in the modulus would berequired to counter-balance any thickness reduction. While an increasein the molecular weight of the PET or crystallinity level of thecontainers can increase the modulus of PET, these approaches haveinherent limits. An even minor increase in molecular weight alsoincreases the melt viscosity of the PET, which can lead to significantlygreater polymer degradation during the melt processing that produces thepreforms. To increase the crystallinity level of the containersubstantially, additional steps in the container manufacturing process,such as heat-setting at high temperature, are required. Other means toachieve much higher crystallinity of containers, such as throughnucleation agents or hyper-stretching, have not been successful.

[0007] U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,631,054 and 5,162,091 described methods toincrease the mechanical properties of PET through use of specific lowmolecular weight additives. Those additives provided modest improvementsto the tensile modulus of PET. However, the amount of additives requiredis high (1-5% by weight), and the additives claimed are relativelyexpensive compared to the cost of PET. In addition, because theseadditives were not part of the polymer chains, they are potentiallyextractable, which is detrimental to their use in food contactapplications.

[0008] Thus, there exists a need in the art for a container that has ahigh degree of material utilization, is lighter weight, has sufficientmechanical properties, and consumes less energy in its production.Accordingly, it is to the provision of such that the present inventionis directed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] This invention addresses the above-described need for lighterweight containers by providing an injection molded preform having anopen ended mouth forming portion, an intermediate body forming portion,and a closed base-forming portion. In one embodiment, the preformcomprises a poly(ethylene terephthalate) copolymer (hereinafter “PETCopolymer”) comprising a diol component having repeat units fromethylene glycol and a non-ethylene glycol diol component and a diacidcomponent having repeat units from terephthalic acid and anon-terephthalic acid diacid component. The total amount of non-ethyleneglycol diol component and non-terephthalic acid diacid component ispresent in the PET Copolymer in an amount from about 0.2 mole percent toless than about 2.2 mole percent. The mole percentages are based on 100mole percent diacid component and 100 mole percent diol component. Thisdefinition is applicable to mole percentages throughout thisspecification. The preform, the container and corresponding methods ofmaking each are additional embodiments of this invention.

[0010] In another embodiment, a preform for use in making a containercomprises a PET Copolymer comprising a diol component having repeatunits from ethylene glycol and a non-ethylene glycol diol component anda diacid component having repeat units from terephthalic acid and anon-terephthalic acid diacid component. The total amount of non-ethyleneglycol diol component and non-terephthalic acid diacid component ispresent in the PET Copolymer in an amount from about 0.2 mole percent toless than about 3.0 mole percent based on 100 mole percent of the diolcomponent and 100 mole percent of the diacid component. Furthermore, thenon-ethylene glycol diol component is present in an amount of from about0.1 to about 2.0 and the non-terephthalic acid diacid component ispresent in an about of about 0.1 to about 1.0.

[0011] In preferred embodiments, the preforms are designed to have astretch ratio in the range from about 8 to about 12, enabling thepreforms to have a reduced wall thickness. Thus the cycle time formanufacture of the preforms is reduced. Because the material utilizationis higher, less material needs to be used and the cost of goods islowered, while the containers produced exhibit improved thermalstability and sidewall rigidity characteristics.

[0012] In still another embodiment of the present invention, a methodfor reducing the cycle time for making a container comprises the stepsof:

[0013] (1) providing a PET Copolymer melt comprising a diol componenthaving repeat units from ethylene glycol and a non-ethylene glycol diolcomponent and a diacid component having repeat units from terephthalicacid and a non-terephthalic acid diacid component, wherein the totalamount of non-ethylene glycol diol component and non-terephthalic aciddiacid component is present in the PET Copolymer in an amount from about0.2 mole percent to less than about 2.2 mole percent,

[0014] (2) then injecting the PET Copolymer into a mold,

[0015] (3) then cooling the mold and the contained polymer,

[0016] (4) then releasing from the mold a preform,

[0017] (5) then reheating the preform, and

[0018] (6) then blow molding the preform into a container.

[0019] The cycle time for making the container is reduced as compared toa second cycle time for making a second container comprising apoly(ethylene terephthalate) resin having comonomer modification greaterthan about 2.2 mole percent of a combination of a non-ethylene glycoldiol component and a non-terephthalic acid diacid component.

[0020] Thus, embodiments of this invention provide two sets ofimprovements. In one set, the PET Copolymer is used with a conventionalpreform design to produce a container with enhanced mechanicalproperties, higher crystallinity and improved shelf life. In the otherset, the PET Copolymer is used with a redesigned preform that has astretch ratio of from about 8 to about 12, a reduced preform wallthickness, and reduced cycle time to produce a container of similar orimproved quality compared to a container produced using conventional PETresin and a conventional preform design.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021]FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation view of an injection moldedpreform having a conventional configuration, made with the PET Copolymerin accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention.

[0022]FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation view of an injection moldedpreform having an unconventional configuration in accordance with apreferred embodiment of this invention.

[0023]FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation view of a blow molded containermade from the preform of FIG. 1 in accordance with a preferredembodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] In the present invention, a PET Copolymer is made into aninjection molded preform which is then blow molded into a container. Thepreform comprises an open ended mouth forming portion, an intermediatebody forming portion, and a closed base forming portion. The preformcomprises a PET Copolymer comprising a diol component having repeatunits from ethylene glycol and a non-ethylene glycol diol component anda diacid component having repeat units from terephthalic acid and anon-terephthalic acid diacid component, wherein the total amount ofnon-ethylene glycol diol component and non-terephthalic acid diacidcomponent is present in the PET Copolymer in an amount from about 0.2mole percent to less than about 2.2 mole percent. The mole percentagesof diol components and diacid components include all residual comonomersin the PET Copolymer composition such as those formed during or passingthrough the manufacturing process of the PET Copolymer. In all instancesthroughout the specification, the PET Copolymer is based on a total of200 mole percent including 100 mole percent of the diol component and100 mole percent of the diacid component.

[0025] The amount of each of the non-ethylene glycol diol component andnon-terephthalic acid diacid component in the PET Copolymer can vary tosome extent within the total amount of both, which is from about 0.2mole percent to less than about 2.2 mole percent. Preferably, the totalamount of non-ethylene glycol diol component and non-terephthalic aciddiacid component is present in the PET Copolymer in an amount from about1.1 mole percent to about 2.1 mole percent, and even more preferably inan amount from about 1.2 mole percent to about 1.6 mole percent. Repeatunits from the non-terephthalic acid diacid component are preferablypresent in the PET Copolymer in an amount from about 0.1 to about 1.0mole percent, more preferably in an amount from about 0.2 to about 0.75mole percent, still more preferably in an amount from about 0.25 toabout 0.6 mole percent, and yet more preferably in an amount from about0.25 to less than about 0.5 mole percent. The repeat units from thenon-ethylene glycol diol component are preferably present in the PETCopolymer in an amount from about 0.1 to about 2.0 mole percent, morepreferably in an amount from about 0.5 to about 1.6 mole percent, andeven more preferably in an amount from about 0.8 to about 1.3 molepercent. The PET Copolymer preferably has an intrinsic viscosity (IV),measured according to ASTM D4603-96, from about 0.6 to about 1.1 dL/g,more preferably from about 0.7 to about 0.9, and even more preferablyfrom about 0.8 to about 0.84. Desirably, the PET resin of this inventionis a reaction grade resin, meaning that the PET resin is a directproduct of a chemical reaction between comonomers and not a polymerblend.

[0026] In another embodiment of the invention, a preform for use inmaking a container comprises a PET Copolymer comprising a diol componenthaving repeat units from ethylene glycol and a non-ethylene glycol diolcomponent and a diacid component having repeat units from terephthalicacid and a non-terephthalic acid diacid component. The total amount ofnon-ethylene glycol diol component and non-terephthalic acid diacidcomponent present in the PET Copolymer is in an amount from about 0.2mole percent to less than about 3.0 mole percent based on 100 molepercent of the diol component and 100 mole percent of the diacidcomponent. The non-ethylene glycol diol component is present in anamount of from about 0.1 to about 2.0 and the non-terephthalic aciddiacid component is present in an about of about 0.1 to about 1.0.Preferably, the total amount of non-ethylene glycol diol component andnon-terephthalic acid diacid component is present in an amount fromabout 0.2 mole percent to less than about 2.6 mole percent.

[0027] The non-terephthalic acid diacid component can be any of a numberof diacids, including adipic acid, succinic acid, isophthalic acid(IPA), phthalic acid, 4,4′-biphenyl dicarboxylic acid,naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, and the like. The preferrednon-terephthalate acid diacid component is 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylicacid (NDC). The non-ethylene glycol diols contemplated in this inventioninclude cyclohexanedimethanol, propanediol, butanediol, and diethyleneglycol. Of these, diethylene glycol (DEG) is preferred since it isalready naturally present in the PET Copolymer. The non-terephthalicacid diacid component and the non-ethylene glycol diol component mayalso be mixtures of diacids and diols, respectively.

[0028] The levels of DEG in PET Copolymers of the present inventionrange from about 0.1 to about 2.0 mole percent, which is below thetypical residual levels of DEG present in the manufacture ofconventional PET (hereinafter “Conventional PET”). Conventional PETtypically contains from about 2.4 to about 2.9 mole percent DEG, whichis equivalent to more commonly referenced weight percent values of about1.3 to about 1.6. Those skilled in the art of PET manufacture generallyregard DEG as a harmless by-product of the polymer manufacture;consequently, little effort has been directed toward reduction of DEGlevels in PET intended for use in containers. Thus, modifications to thePET production process for containers must occur to achieve the lowerDEG levels in the PET Copolymer of the present invention. Any methodsuitable for reducing DEG content of polyester can be employed. Suitablemethods include reducing the mole ratio of diacid or diester relative toethylene glycol in the esterification or transesterification reaction;reducing the temperature of the esterification or transesterificationreaction, addition of DEG-suppressing additives, including tetra-alkylammonium salts and the like; and reduction of the DEG content of theethylene glycol that is recycled back to the esterification ortransesterification reaction.

[0029] In desirable embodiments, the preforms have a stretch ratio inthe range from about 8 to about 12 when used to make containers, andmore desirably from about 8 to about 10. The stretch ratio as usedherein refers to the nomenclature that is well known in the art and isdefined as following:

Stretch ratio=(maximum container diameter/internal preformdiameter)×[(height of container below finish)/(height of preform belowfinish)]

[0030] The natural stretch ratio is an inherent property of a polymer.The measurement of the free blow volume of a polymer relative to apreform, which is used in the Examples herein, provides a method tomeasure the natural stretch ratio of a polymer. The natural stretchratio of a polymer influences the preform design by determining thestretch ratio limitations of a preform used in the blow molding processfor making a container. A polymer with a lower natural stretch ratioallows a preform to be designed with a lower stretch ratio. Whenever thestretch ratio of a preform is lower, the sidewall thickness of thepreform required to make a bottle of a target sidewall thickness can bereduced. An important factor in blow molding lightweight containers isalso uniform wall thickness distribution, especially in the label panelarea. Using polymers with lower natural stretch ratios inherently causesmore material to be uniformly oriented and distributed during the blowmolding process. With an understanding of the natural stretch ratio of apolymer, preform dimensions such as height, inside diameter, and wallthickness can be selected so that the preform can be blow molded into acontainer having certain selected physical properties such as weight,height, maximum diameter, thermal stability, and sidewall rigidity.

[0031] In another embodiment of the present invention, a method forreducing the cycle time for making a container comprises the steps of:

[0032] (1) providing a PET Copolymer melt comprising a diol componenthaving repeat units from ethylene glycol and a non-ethylene glycol diolcomponent and a diacid component having repeat units from terephthalicacid and a non-terephthalic acid diacid component, wherein the totalamount of non-ethylene glycol diol component and non-terephthalic aciddiacid component is present in the PET Copolymer in an amount from about0.2 mole percent to less than about 2.2 mole percent,

[0033] (2) then injecting the PET Copolymer into a mold,

[0034] (3) then cooling the mold and the contained polymer,

[0035] (4) then releasing from the mold a preform,

[0036] (5) then reheating the preform, and

[0037] (6) then blow molding the preform into a container.

[0038] The cycle time for making the container according to the stepsabove is reduced as compared to a second cycle time for making a secondcontainer comprising a poly(ethylene terephthalate) resin havingcomonomer modification greater than about 2.2 mole percent of acombination of a non-ethylene glycol diol component and anon-terephthalic acid diacid component.

[0039] In another method embodiment, a method for making a containercomprises blow molding an injection molded preform that has an openended mouth forming portion, an intermediate body forming portion, and aclosed base forming portion, The preform comprises a PET Copolymercomprising a diol component having repeat units from ethylene glycol anda non-ethylene glycol diol component and a diacid component havingrepeat units from terephthalic acid and a non-terephthalic acid diacidcomponent. The total amount of non-ethylene glycol diol component andnon-terephthalic acid diacid component present in the PET Copolymer isin an amount from about 0.2 mole percent to less than about 2.2 molepercent.

[0040] In still another method embodiment, a method for making a preformfor use in making containers comprises injection molding a PETCopolymer, which comprises a diol component having repeat units fromethylene glycol and a non-ethylene glycol diol component and a diacidcomponent having repeat units from terephthalic acid and anon-terephthalic acid diacid component. The total amount of non-ethyleneglycol diol component and non-terephthalic acid, diacid componentpresent in the PET Copolymer is in an amount from about 0.2 mole percentto less than about 2.2 mole percent.

[0041] In the method embodiments, the PET Copolymer preferably comprises2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid as the non-terephthalic acid diacidcomponent present in an amount from about 0.1 to about 1.0 mole percentand diethylene glycol as the non-ethylene glycol diol component presentin the PET Copolymer in an amount from about 0.1 to about 2.0 molepercent. Preferably, the preform has a stretch ratio in the range fromabout 8 to about 12 and more preferably in the range from about 8 toabout 10.

[0042] To understand the significance of the present invention, anunderstanding of the conventional process of making containers isneeded. Firstly, PET pellets that are obtained from a conventionalpolyester esterification/polycondensation process are melted andsubsequently formed into preforms through an injection molding process.Secondly, the preforms are heated in an oven to a temperature above thepolymer's glass transition temperature, and then formed into containersvia a blow molding process. The desired end result is clear containerswith sufficient mechanical and barrier properties to provide appropriateprotection for the contained beverage or food product.

[0043] An important consideration in producing clear or transparentcontainers is to first produce clear or transparent preforms. During theinjection molding step thermally induced crystallization can occur inthe conversion of the polymer to a preform. Thermally inducedcrystallization tends to form large crystallites in the polymer, with aconcomitant formation of haze. In order to minimize the formation ofcrystallites and thus have clear preforms, the rate of thermalcrystallization needs to be slow enough so that preforms with little orno crystallinity can be produced. However, if the rate of thermalcrystallization is too low, the production rates of PET resin can beadversely affected, since PET must be thermally crystallized prior tosolid-state polymerization, a process used to increase the molecularweight of PET and simultaneously remove unwanted acetaldehyde. Solidstate polymerization increases the molecular weight of the polymer sothat a container made from the polymer will have the requisite strength.Prior art techniques for reducing thermal crystallization rate includethe use of PET containing a certain amount of co-monomers. The mostcommonly used comonomer modifiers are isophthalic acid or1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, which are added at levels ranging from 1.5 to3.0 mole %.

[0044] Counterbalancing the need to reduce the rate of thermalcrystallization during injection molding is the need to increase therate of strain-induced crystallinity that occurs during blow molding.Strain-induced crystallinity results from the rapid mechanicaldeformation of PET, and generates extremely small, transparentcrystallites. The amount of crystallinity present in the containersidewall correlates with the strength and barrier performance of thecontainer. Previously, it has been demonstrated that increasing the DEGcontent of PET from 2.9 to 4.0 mole percent causes an increase incrystallization rates of PET compared to Conventional PET containingbetween 2.4 to 2.9 mole percent DEG. The rationale for this phenomenonis that the increased polymer chain flexibility resulting from thehigher DEG content allows for more rapid ordering and packing of thepolymer chains into polymer crystals.

[0045] In the PET Copolymer of the present invention both a reduced rateof thermal crystallization and an increased rate of strain-inducedcrystallization is unexpectedly found to occur by the comonomermodification of non-terephthalic acid diacid component at about 0.1 toabout 1.0 mole percent and of non-ethylene glycol diol component atabout 0.1 to about 2.0 mole percent, respectively. The non-terephthalicacid diacid such as NDC is believed to reduce the thermalcrystallization rate due to the rigidity of the NDC moiety hinderingpolymer chain flexibility, and thus makes formation of crystallites moredifficult. The addition of NDC has also been discovered to enhance thestiffness of the PET chains and results in an unexpected increase in thesidewall rigidity of the containers made from PET Copolymer. Furthermoreand contrary to expectations, reducing the DEG content to less thanabout 2.0 mole percent in the PET Copolymer results in an increase inthe rate of strain-induced crystallization relative to Conventional PETcontaining between 2.4 and 2.9 mole percent DEG.

[0046] A consequence of this unique combination of low amounts of DEGand NDC, at least in preferred embodiments, is a reduction in thenatural stretch ratio of PET Copolymer as compared to that ofConventional PET. The physical dimensions of the preform can thereforebe altered so as to make a thinner walled preform that produces alighter weight container that has an acceptable level of strength andsimilar container sidewall thickness compared to containers made fromConventional PET using conventional preform designs, or to make similarweight containers having a higher level of strength and greatercontainer sidewall thickness. The physical properties of the preform canalso be selected to reduce the preform injection molding cycle time andthe container blow molding cycle time without compromising the containerstrength or shelf life of the container contents.

[0047] By using the PET Copolymer of the present invention, containersthat have enhanced mechanical properties, higher crystallinity, thickersidewalls, and improved shelf-life can be made utilizing preforms thathave conventional stretch ratios of about 14. Alternatively and inpreferred embodiments, unconventional preforms can be designed to have alonger length and thinner walls and that have a stretch ratio of fromabout 8 to about 12. Containers made using the PET Copolymer of thepresent invention and such unconventional preforms exhibit improvedmaterial utilization, stiffness, and higher levels of strain inducedcrystallinity during the blow molding process as compared toconventional preforms made from Conventional PET even when the preformshave reduced sidewall thickness and lower stretch ratios than that ofconventional preforms made with Conventional PET.

[0048] The present invention can be more fully appreciated whencomparing container properties relative to the preform stretch ratio. Apreform designed to have a stretch ratio of about 14 and a sidewallthickness of about 3.2 mm using Conventional PET having DEG contentabove 2.0 mole percent will result in a blow molded container having asidewall thickness of about 0.23 mm. When using the same preform designwith the PET Copolymer of the present invention, the blow moldedcontainer will have a sidewall thickness of about 0.35 mm. To obtain thesame resulting container sidewall thickness using the PET Copolymer, thepreform needs to be redesigned to be longer and have a sidewallthickness of 2.3 mm. This thinner sidewall preform exhibits improvedcycle times and reduced energy usage as well as a reduced total weightas compared with preforms made of Conventional PET resins, while at thesame time producing an equivalent or improved container. To furtherillustrate, a preform made with Conventional PET using the redesignedpreform having a sidewall thickness of 2.28 mm would result in a uselesscontainer because the sidewall thickness of the container would be only0.16 mm, which would not provide enough structural integrity to thecontainer, and would also exhibit reduced shelf-life for carbonatedbeverages.

[0049] Thus, an important benefit of the reduced natural stretch ratioof the PET Copolymer of the present invention is the redesign ofpreforms so that a longer-length, thinner-walled preform can be designedto achieve the same or better final PET container properties as obtainedfrom Conventional PET and conventional preform designs. As well known tothose skilled in the art, the sidewall thickness of the preformcorrelates with the injection molding cooling time. The cooling time isproportional to the square of the wall thickness. Since injectionmolding cycle time is to a large degree determined by cooling time, thepreform design of the present invention will substantially reduce theinjection molding cycle time. A thinner-walled preform is also easier toreheat since it will take less time for heat to transfer throughout thepreform sidewall. This potentially can reduce the blow molding reheatand heat saturation time, resulting in an improvement in productivityand a reduction in energy usage in the blow molding process.

[0050] The light weighting potential for a container can be illustratedwith two tests: thermal expansion and sidewall deflection as describedin the following sections. Both tests demonstrate the mechanicalproperties of the bottles of thermal stability and sidewall rigidity,respectively. For the same resin composition, a lighter weight bottlehas lower mechanical strength, poorer thermal stability (andconcomitantly greater thermal expansion), and less sidewall rigidity (orgreater sidewall deflection). The low DEG, low NDC PET Copolymer of thepresent invention displays enhanced performance in both thermalstability and sidewall rigidity tests. Such performance is possiblycaused by the increased crystallinity of the PET Copolymer and thedecreased moisture sorption therein. Both of these factors cansubstantially decrease creep, which is the dimensional change understress of a container measured by the change in diameter and height.This is an important factor, because most containers undergo some stressduring and after the filling process. Therefore, thermal expansion andsidewall deflection tests are used herein to compare the performance ofcontainers, and especially the performance of pressurized containers.

[0051] In preferred embodiments, containers of this invention includebottles, drums, carafes, and coolers, and the like. As is well known tothose skilled in the art, such containers can be made by blow molding aninjection molded preform. Examples of suitable preform and containerstructures and methods for making the same are disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 5,888,598, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety. Other preform and container structures,not disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,598, are described herein as well.

[0052] Turning to the FIGS. 1-3, a polyester preform 10 having aconventional configuration is illustrated in FIG. 1 and a polyesterpreform 11 having a configuration in accordance with an embodiment ofthis invention is illustrated in FIG. 2. These preforms 10 and 11 inFIGS. 1 and 2 each have the same components, and therefore, likereference numerals indicate like components throughout the FIGS., butthe dimensions of the preforms are different. The dimensions in FIGS. 1and 2 are not drawn to scale.

[0053] The preforms 10 and 11 are made by injection molding the PETCopolymer of this invention and comprise a threaded neck finish 12 whichterminates at its lower end in a capping flange 14. Below the cappingflange 14, there is a generally cylindrical section 16 which terminatesin a section 18 of gradually decreasing external diameter so as toprovide for an increasing wall thickness. Below the section 18 there isan elongated body section 20. The height of the preform is measured fromthe capping flange 14 to a closed end 21 of the elongated body section20.

[0054] The preforms 10 and 11 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 can each beblow molded to form a container 22 illustrated in FIG. 3. The container22 comprises a shell 24 comprising a threaded neck finish 26 defining amouth 28, a capping flange 30 below the threaded neck finish, a taperedsection 32 extending from the capping flange, a body section 34extending below the tapered section, and a base 36 at the bottom of thecontainer. The height of the container is measured from the cappingflange 30 to a closed end at the base 36. The container 22 is suitablyused to make a packaged beverage 38, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Thepackaged beverage 38 includes a beverage such as a carbonated sodabeverage disposed in the container 22 and a closure 40 sealing the mouth28 of the container.

[0055] According to preferred embodiments of this invention, theintermediate body forming portion of the preform has a wall thicknessfrom 1.5 to 8 mm. Furthermore, according to preferred embodiments, theintermediate body forming portion of the preform has an inside diameterfrom 10 to 30 mm, and the height of the preform, which extends from theclosed end of the preform opposite the finish to the finish, is from 50to 150 mm. Preferably, containers made in accordance with preferredembodiments of this invention have a volume within the range from 0.25to 3 liters and a wall thickness of 0.25 to 0.65 mm.

[0056] In this specification, reference is made to dimensions of thepreforms 10 and 11 and the resulting containers 22. The height H of thepreforms is the distance from the closed end 21 of the preform oppositethe finish 12 to the capping flange 14 of the finish. The insidediameter ID of the preforms 10 and 11 is the distance between theinterior walls of the elongated body section 20 of the preforms. Thewall thickness T of the preforms 10 and 11 is measured at the elongatedbody section 20 of the preforms also. The height H′ of the containers 22is the distance from the closed end of the base 36 of the containeropposite the finish 26 to the capping flange 30 of the finish. Themaximum container diameter MD is the diameter of the container at itswidest point along the height of the container 22. The hoop stretchratio of the preforms equals the maximum container diameter divided bythe internal preform diameter and the axial stretch ratio equals theheight of container below the finish divided by the height of preformbelow the finish. The stretch ratio of the preforms equals the productof the hoop stretch ration and the axial stretch ratio.

[0057] The preforms 10 and 11, container 22, and packaged beverage 38are but exemplary embodiments of the present invention. It should beunderstood that the PET Copolymers of the present invention can be usedto make a variety of preforms and containers having a variety ofconfigurations.

[0058] The present invention is described above and further illustratedbelow by way of examples, which are not to be construed in any way asimposing limitations upon the scope of the invention. On the contrary,it is to be clearly understood that resort may be had to various otherembodiments, modifications, and equivalents thereof which, after readingthe description herein, may suggest themselves to those skilled in theart without departing from the spirit of the present invention and/orscope of the appended claims.

EXAMPLE 1

[0059] Different PET resins were injection molded with a lab-scaleArburg 75 unit cavity injection machine into conventional preform moldswith a stretch ratio about 12.3 but with different gram weights. Resinswere pre-dried to moisture levels below 30 parts per million (ppm). Thepreforms were then stretch blow molded with a SBO-1 stretch blow-moldingmachine into 500 ml Coca-Cola Contour bottles. A description of theweights and compositions of the samples is listed in Table 1. The #3Samples are representative of embodiments of the present invention andthe #1 and #2 Samples are comparative. TABLE 1 Gram DEG NDC IPA Sampleweight mole % mole % mole % #1-27 27 2.89 0 3 #2-27 27 1.45 0 2.5 #3-2727 1.45 0.5 0 #1-26 26 2.89 0 3 #2-26 26 1.45 0 2.5 #3-26 26 1.45 0.5 0#1-24 24 2.89 0 3 #2-24 24 1.45 0 2.5 #3-24 24 1.45 0.5 0

EXAMPLE 2

[0060] The containers produced in Example 1 were subjected to a standardthermal stability test, which involves filling the containers withcarbonated water, holding them at 22 deg C. for 24 hours, subjectingthem to a temperature of 38 deg C. for an additional 24 hours, and thenmeasuring the dimensional changes that occurred relative to the unfilledcontainers. The data in Table 2 shows that low DEG, low NDC PETCopolymers of the #3 Samples from Example 1 have increased thermalstability property for pressurized containers over that of thecomparable Samples #1 and #2, as evidenced by lower thermal expansionresults. The 24 gram Sample #3 exhibits enhanced thermal stabilitycompared to the 27 gram Sample #1 control. TABLE 2 Label Diameter PinchDiameter Sample Expansion (%) Expansion (%) #1-27 3.1 5.4 #2-27 2.6 5.6#3-27 2.3 4.8 #1-26 3.2 5.4 #2-26 3.9 7.5 #3-26 2.7 5.4 #1-24 3.6 5.8#2-24 2.4 4.9 #3-24 2.6 4.7

EXAMPLE 3

[0061] In Example 3, containers made in Example 1 were tested forsidewall rigidity using a sidewall deflection test. The sidewalldeflection test is designed to measure the amount of force required todeflect the label panel of PET bottles 12 mm (0.47″) with an 8 mm(0.32″) round tip probe at a cross-head speed of 508 mm/min. Thismeasurement gives information about the rigidity of the container. Thegreater the force required to achieve a specific sidewall deflection,the greater the rigidity of the bottle sidewall.

[0062] The data in Table 3 shows that the low DEG, low NDC PETCopolymers of the #3 Samples from Example 1 have increased sidewallrigidity over that of the comparable Samples #1 and #2. The sidewallrigidity of the 24 gram sample #3 is equivalent to 27 gram sample #1control. TABLE 3 Sidewall Deflection Sample (Kgf.) #1-27 4.87 #3-27 5.36#2-27 5.35 #1-26 4.25 #3-26 4.67 #2-26 4.53 #1-24 4.14 #3-24 4.80 #2-244.50

EXAMPLE 4

[0063] The data in Table 4 shows that the crystallinity of containersprepared from low DEG, low NDC PET Copolymer samples using aconventional preform design are higher than that of containers preparedfrom Conventional PET using the same preform design. The PET containershaving the compositions shown in Table 4 above were made in the samemanner as the containers in Example 1.

[0064] The PET Copolymer made from 1.09 mole percent DEG and 0.5 molepercent of NDC has a significantly higher crystallinity than that of theother formulas. The containers made from the PET Copolymers, however,are clear and haze-free, which indicates that in spite of the increasedcrystallinity of these resins, the rate of thermal crystallization isstill sufficiently slow that minimal crystallization occurs under theinjection molding conditions employed. The higher container sidewallcrystallinity is believed to contribute to the improved thermalstability and the improved sidewall rigidity. TABLE 4 Strain CompositionInduced mole % mole % mole % Crystallinity IPA DEG NDC (%) 3.0 2.72 025.8 3.0 1.09 0 22.4 3.0 2.00 0 22.3 0 1.09 0.5 28.8 0 1.09 0.5 29.9 01.09 1 26.4

EXAMPLE 5

[0065] The free blow volumes of PET preforms from Example 1 and PETpreforms made in accordance with the procedure in Example 1 weredetermined by heating the preforms to 105 deg C., and then blowingballoons from the heated preforms with 125 psig air pressure. The volumeof the resulting balloons was measured by filling the balloons withwater, and determining the volume of water contained in the balloons byweighing. The results of these measurements are shown in Tables 5 and 6.The free blow volume is directly correlates to the natural stretch ratioof the polymers. Under the same free blow conditions, the higher thefree blow volume, the higher the natural stretch ratio of the polymer.These results show that the 1.45 mole percent DEG and the 0.5 molepercent NDC containing PET Copolymer exhibits a 25 to 47 percentreduction in the free blow volume relative to the control. This isequivalent to an 18 to 30 percent reduction in the natural stretch ratioof the resin. TABLE 5 Example 1 Free Blow Samples Volume(ml) #1-272099.76 #2-27 1756.88 #1-24 1480.18 #2-24 1480.52 #3-24 1114.49

[0066] TABLE 6 Additional PET Copolymer Samples for 23 g preform IPA DEGNDC Free Blow (mole %) (mole %) (mole %) Volume (ml) 3.0 2.72 0 2079 3.01.09 0 2092 3.0 2.00 0 2205 0 1.09 0.5 1523

EXAMPLE 6

[0067] In order to further demonstrate the benefit of the PET Copolymerof the present invention, light-weighted preforms and bottles wereproduced. Instead of the normal 27 g preform for 500 ml bottles, 23 gpreforms were produced and were blown into the same 500 ml bottle moldused in Example 1. The injection molding was performed with a lab-scaleArburg 75 unit cavity injection machine into a conventional preform moldas illustrated in FIG. 1. The preforms were then stretch blow moldedwith a SBO-1 stretch blow molding machine into 500 ml Coca-Cola Contourbottle as in FIG. 3. The preform IV was measured according to ASTM D4603-96 and the sidewall deflection and thermal expansion were measuredas described above.

[0068] The data in Table 7 shows that the combination of low DEG, lowNDC PET Copolymer has higher crystallinity, higher sidewall rigidity andincreased thermal stability as compared to conventional resincompositions. TABLE 7 Bottle Resin Composition Sidewall Sidewall Thermalmole % mole % mole % IV Thickness Deflection Expansion IPA DEG NDC(dL/g) (mm) (Kgf) (%) 3.00 2.72 0 0.794 0.23 6.49 3.60 3.00 1.09 0 0.7820.25 7.25 2.80 3.00 2.00 0 0.773 0.25 6.69 2.50 0 1.09 0.5 0.779 0.257.30 2.20 0 1.09 1 0.788 0.24 6.86 3.00

EXAMPLE 7

[0069] In order to demonstrate the effect of reduced natural stretchratio on injection molding cycle time, two PET resins were made, aConventional PET resin having a conventional formula and a PET Copolymermade in accordance with an embodiment of this invention. Thecompositions are shown in Table 8. The free blow volumes of theConventional PET resin and the PET Copolymer were determined inaccordance with the procedure described above and four sets of preforms,7A, 7B, 7C, and 7D, were made. Preforms 7A and 7C were both made withthe Conventional PET resin using with a conventional preform design(Conv) as illustrated in FIG. 1. Preforms 7B and 7D were both made withthe PET Copolymer using an unconventional preform design (Uncon) asillustrated in FIG. 2. The physical dimensions and molding cycle timesof the preforms are set forth in Table 9. TABLE 8 IPA (mole %) DEG (mole%) NDC (mole %) Conventional 3 2.72 0 PET PET Copolymer 0 1.09 0.5

[0070] TABLE 9 Preform 7A 7B 7C 7D Resin Conventional PET ConventionalPET PET Copolymer PET Copolymer Design Conv Uncon Conv Uncon Preformweight 24 24 27 27 (grams) Hoop stretch 4.86 4.93 5.24 4.35 ratio Axialstretch 2.52 1.95 2.34 1.95 ratio Preform stretch 12.25 9.61 12.26 8.48ratio Height (mm) 80.74 103.99 86.95 103.99 Inside diameter 13.69 13.5012.69 15.30 (mm) Wall thickness 3.43 2.65 3.86 2.80 (mm) Cycle Time 23.617.9 28.5 21.0 (sec)

[0071] The data in Table 9 demonstrates that the injection molding cycletime can be reduced and the injection molding productivity can beincreased by 24 to 26% at the same preform weight by using the PETCopolymer made in accordance with an embodiment of this invention whenused in conjunction with a preform designed to take advantage of thelower natural stretch ratio of the PET Copolymer resin.

EXAMPLES 8-15

[0072] The following preforms whose physical properties are set forth inTable 10 illustrate additional embodiments of this invention. Each ofExamples 8-15 are made with the PET Copolymer Resin identified in Table8 and have configurations generally like that of preform 11 illustratedin FIG. 2. TABLE 10 Example 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Preform 24 24 24 27 2727 27 23 weight (grams) Hoop 4.86 5.0 4.35 4.93 4.35 4.86 5.0 4.67stretch ratio Axial 2.2 2.06 2.2 1.95 2.2 2.2 2.06 2.52 stretch ratioPreform 10.69 10.3 9.57 9.61 9.57 10.69 10.3 11.76 stretch ratio Height92.48 98.49 92.48 103.99 92.48 92.48 98.49 80.73 (mm) Inside 13.68 13.315.29 13.5 15.29 13.68 13.30 14.24 diameter (mm) Wall 2.95 2.8 2.64 3.063.15 3.4 3.33 3.15 thickness (mm)

EXAMPLE 16

[0073] The data in Table 11 below shows the comparison of the free blowvolume and crystallinity of various PET resins. In this Example, thefree-blow pressure used was 95 psig. In this Example, the PET Copolymersof the present invention having low DEG and low NDC content exhibit areduction in free blow volume of 21 to 27 percent relative toConventional PET resin. TABLE 11 Resin Composition mole % mole % mole %Free blow Strain Induced IPA DEG NDC volume (ml) Crystallinity (%) 32.80 0 713 27.1 0 1.60 0 532 28.1 0 1.60 0.25 542 27.8 0 1.60 0.50 52027.0 0 1.60 1.00 560 28.1 0.50 1.60 0 529 27.2

EXAMPLE 17

[0074] In this Example, the sidewall deflection test was performed onthe free blow bubbles of Example 16 according to the method describedabove. Because the bubble volumes were different for each resin due totheir different inherent natural stretch ratio, rigidity values werenormalized by the bubble diameter and bubble thickness. The normalizedvalues are shown in Table 12. TABLE 12 Resin Composition mole % IPA mole% DEG mole % NDC Rigidity (Kgf/cm) 3 2.80 0 16.6 0 1.60 0 25.0 0 1.600.25 27.9 0 1.60 0.50 29.3 0 1.60 1.00 25.2

[0075] These results show that a maximum sidewall rigidity is obtainedwhen about 0.5 mole % NDC is present as a comonomer.

EXAMPLE 18

[0076] Two resins, a PET Copolymer made in accordance with an embodimentof this invention and a Conventional PET resin were injection moldedinto preforms on a 48 cavity Husky XL 300 machine. The control wasmolded into a 52-gram 2-L preform with sidewall thickness of 3.93 mm,while the PET Copolymer was molded into a 50-gram 2-L preform with asidewall thickness of 3.71 mm. Both preforms were of conventionaldesign. The preforms were then blown into bottles using a Sidel SBO 16machine. The bottles were tested for thermal stability, sidewalldeflection, and shelf life.

[0077] The thermal stability of the bottles made from the two resinswere tested as in the previous Examples. The results set forth in Table13 show that with the PET Copolymer, a 50-gram bottle performedsimilarly or better than the 52-gram control, in spite of the 2-g lightweighting in the bottles. TABLE 13 % Height % Diameter Max. Fill PointResin Change Increase Drop (in) PET Copolymer 2.0 1.72 1.541 50 grampreform Conventional PET 1.9 2.30 1.562 52 gram preform

[0078] The sidewall deflection tests were performed on the abovedescribed bottles as per the test method described hereinbefore. Theresults set forth in Table 14 show that the bottles made from the PETCopolymer performed better than bottles made from the control, eventhough the bottles made from the PET Copolymer weigh 2 grams less thanthe bottles made from the Conventional PET.

[0079] The bottles from both the PET Copolymer and Conventional PETresins were filled with 385.84 Kpa of carbon dioxide and tested forshelf life. The shelf life of the bottles were defined as the time forthe bottle to lose 17.5% of the carbon dioxide in the bottle, or untilthe carbon dioxide pressure inside the bottles decreased to 318.3 Kpa.Normally, a heavier bottle having a thicker sidewall thickness has alonger the shelf life. The shelf life values are shown in the followingTable 14. It can be seen that 2-L bottles made from 50 gram preforms ofthe PET Copolymer resin have essentially the same shelf life as 2-Lbottles made from 52 gram preform made using the Conventional PET resin.TABLE 14 Sidewall Resin deflection (Kgf) FTIR shelf life Std. Dev. PETCopolymer 50 1.63 13.9 week −0.3/+0.4 gram preform Conventional PET 521.40 13.7 week −0.4/+0.6 gram preform

[0080] It should be understood that the foregoing relates to particularembodiment of the present invention, and that numerous changes may bemade therein without departing from the scope of the invention asdefined by the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A container made from an injection molded preform, thepreform having an open ended mouth forming portion, an intermediate bodyforming portion, and a closed base forming portion and comprising apoly(ethylene terephthalate) copolymer (PET Copolymer) comprising a diolcomponent having repeat units from ethylene glycol and a non-ethyleneglycol diol component and a diacid component having repeat units fromterephthalic acid and a non-terephthalic acid diacid component, whereinthe total amount of non-ethylene glycol diol component andnon-terephthalic acid diacid component present in the PET Copolymer isin an amount from about 0.2 mole percent to less than about 2.2 molepercent and the PET Copolymer is based on 100 mole percent of the diolcomponent and 100 mole percent of the diacid component.
 2. A containeras in claim 1 wherein the total amount of non-ethylene glycol diolcomponent and non-terephthalic acid diacid component is present in thePET Copolymer in an amount from about 1.1 mole percent to about 2.1 molepercent.
 3. A container as in claim 1 wherein the total amount ofnon-ethylene glycol diol component and non-terephthalic acid diacidcomponent is present in the PET Copolymer in an amount from about 1.2mole percent to about 1.6 mole percent.
 4. A container as in claim 1wherein the repeat units from the non-terephthalic acid diacid componentare present in the PET Copolymer in an amount from about 0.1 to about1.0 mole percent.
 5. A container as in claim 1 wherein the repeat unitsfrom the non-terephthalic acid diacid component are present in the PETCopolymer in an amount from about 0.2 to about 0.75 mole percent.
 6. Acontainer as in claim 1 wherein the repeat units from thenon-terephthalic acid diacid component are present in the PET Copolymerin an amount from about 0.25 to about 0.6 mole percent.
 7. A containeras in claim 1 wherein the repeat units from the non-terephthalic aciddiacid component are present in the PET Copolymer in an amount fromabout 0.25 to less than about 0.5 mole percent.
 8. A container as inclaim 1 wherein the repeat units from the non-ethylene glycol diolcomponent are present in the PET Copolymer in an amount from about 0.1to about 2.0 mole percent.
 9. A container as in claim 1 wherein therepeat units from the non-ethylene glycol diol component are present inthe PET Copolymer in an amount from about 0.5 to about 1.6 mole percent.10. A container as in claim 1 wherein the repeat units from thenon-ethylene glycol diol component are present in the PET Copolymer inan amount from about 0.8 to about 1.3 mole percent.
 11. A container asin claim 1 wherein the repeat units from the non-terephthalic aciddiacid component are present in the PET Copolymer in an amount fromabout 0.1 to about 1.0 mole percent and the repeat units from thenon-ethylene glycol diol component are present in the PET Copolymer inan amount from 0.1 to about 2.0 mole percent.
 12. A container as inclaim 1 wherein the non-terephthalic acid diacid component comprisesrepeat units from diacids selected from the group consisting of adipicacid, succinic acid, isophthalic acid, phthalic acid, 4,4′-biphenyldicarboxylic acid, and naphthalenedicarboxylic acid.
 13. A container asin claim 1 wherein the non-terephthalic acid diacid component comprisesrepeat units from 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid.
 14. A container asin claim 1 wherein the non-ethylene glycol diol component comprisesrepeat units from a diol selected from the group consisting ofcyclohexanedimethanol, propanediol, butanediol, and diethylene glycol.15. A container as in claim 1 wherein the non-ethylene glycol diolcomponent comprises repeat units from diethylene glycol.
 16. A containeras in claim 1 wherein the repeat units from the non-terephthalic aciddiacid component are 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid and present in thePET Copolymer in an amount from about 0.1 to about 1.0 mole percent andwherein the repeat units from the non-ethylene glycol diol component arediethylene glycol and present in the PET Copolymer in an amount fromabout 0.1 to about 2.0 mole percent.
 17. A container as in claim 1wherein the preform has a stretch ratio in the range from about 8 toabout
 12. 18. A container as in claim 1 wherein the preform has astretch ratio in the range from about 8 to about
 10. 19. A container asin claim 1 wherein the PET Copolymer is a reaction grade copolymer. 20.A container as in claim 1 wherein the intermediate body forming portionof the preform has a wall thickness from about 1.5 to about 8 mm and aninside diameter from about 10 to about 30 mm, and the preform has afinish, a closed end opposite the finish, and a height from the closedend to the finish of from about 50 to about 150 mm.
 21. A container asin claim 1 wherein the container has a volume within the range fromabout 0.25 to about 3 liters.
 22. A container as in claim 1 wherein thecontainer is a bottle, drum, carafe, or cooler.
 23. A preform having anopen ended mouth forming portion, an intermediate body forming portion,and a closed base forming portion, and comprising a PET Copolymercomprising a diol component having repeat units from ethylene glycol anda non-ethylene glycol diol component and a diacid component havingrepeat units from terephthalic acid and a non-terephthalic acid diacidcomponent, wherein the total amount of non-ethylene glycol diolcomponent and non-terephthalic acid diacid component present in the PETCopolymer is in an amount from about 0.2 mole percent to less than about2.2 mole percent and the PET Copolymer is based on 100 mole percent ofthe diol component and 100 mole percent of the diacid component.
 24. Apreform as in claim 23 wherein the non-terephthalic acid diacidcomponent comprises repeat units from 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acidand the non-ethylene glycol diol component comprises repeat units fromdiethylene glycol.
 25. A preform as in claim 24 wherein the repeat unitsfrom 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid are present in the PET Copolymerin an amount from about 0.1 to about 1.0 mole percent and wherein therepeat units from the diethylene glycol are present in the PET Copolymerin an amount from about 0.1 to about 2.0 mole percent.
 26. The preformas in claim 24 wherein 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid is present fromabout 0.2 to about 0.75 mole percent and the diethylene glycol ispresent in an amount of about 0.5 to about 1.6 mole percent.
 27. Apreform as in claim 23 wherein the preform has a stretch ratio in therange from about 8 to about
 12. 28. A preform as in claim 23 wherein thepreform has a stretch ratio in the range from about 8 to about
 10. 29. Apreform as in claim 23 wherein the PET Copolymer is a reaction gradecopolymer.
 30. A preform for use in making a container comprising a PETCopolymer comprising a diol component having repeat units from ethyleneglycol and a non-ethylene glycol diol component and a diacid componenthaving repeat units from terephthalic acid and a non-terephthalic aciddiacid component; wherein the total amount of non-ethylene glycol diolcomponent and non-terephthalic acid diacid component present in the PETCopolymer is in an amount from about 0.2 mole percent to less than about3.0 mole percent based on 100 mole percent of the diol component and 100mole percent of the diacid component, and wherein the non-ethyleneglycol diol component is present in an amount of from about 0.1 to about2.0 mole percent and the non-terephthalic acid diacid component ispresent in an about of about 0.1 to about 1.0 mole percent.
 31. Apreform as in claim 30 wherein the total amount of non-ethylene glycoldiol component and non-terephthalic acid diacid component present in thePET Copolymer is in an amount from about 0.2 mole percent to less thanabout 2.6 mole percent.
 32. A preform as in claim 30 wherein thenon-ethylene glycol diol component is derived from diethylene glycol.33. A preform as in claim 30 wherein the non-terephthalic acid diacidcomponent is derived from 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid or itsdiester.
 34. A preform as in claim 30 wherein the preform has a stretchratio in the range from about 8 to about
 12. 35. A preform as in claim30 wherein the preform has a stretch ratio in the range from about 8 toabout
 10. 36. A packaged beverage comprising a container made from aninjection molded preform and a beverage disposed in the container,wherein the preform: (a) has an open ended mouth forming portion, anintermediate body forming portion, and a closed base forming portion,and (b) comprises a PET Copolymer comprising a diol component havingrepeat units from ethylene glycol and a non-ethylene glycol diolcomponent and a diacid component having repeat units from terephthalicacid and a non-terephthalic acid diacid component, wherein the totalamount of non-ethylene glycol diol component and non-terephthalic aciddiacid component present in the PET Copolymer is in an amount from about0.2 mole percent to less than about 2.2 mole percent and the PETCopolymer is based on 100 mole percent of the diol component and 100mole percent of the diacid component.
 37. A packaged beverage as inclaim 36 wherein the repeat units from the non-terephthalic acid diacidcomponent are 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid and present in the PETCopolymer in an amount from about 0.1 to about 1.0 mole percent andwherein the repeat units from the non-ethylene glycol diol component arediethylene glycol and present in the PET Copolymer in an amount fromabout 0.1 to about 2.0 mole percent.
 38. A packaged beverage as in claim36 wherein the preform has a stretch ratio in the range from about 8 toabout
 12. 39. A packaged beverage as in claim 36 wherein the preform hasa stretch ratio in the range from about 8 to about
 10. 40. A method forreducing the cycle time for making a container comprising the steps of:(1) providing a PET Copolymer melt comprising a diol component havingrepeat units from ethylene glycol and a non-ethylene glycol diolcomponent and a diacid component having repeat units from terephthalicacid and a non-terephthalic acid diacid component, wherein the totalamount of non-ethylene glycol diol component and non-terephthalic aciddiacid component is present in the PET Copolymer in an amount from about0.2 mole percent to less than about 2.2 mole percent, (2) then injectingthe PET Copolymer into a mold, (3) then cooling the mold and thecontained polymer, (4) then releasing from the mold a preform, (5) thenreheating the preform, and (6) then blow molding the preform into acontainer; wherein the cycle time for making the container is reduced ascompared to a second cycle time for making a second container comprisinga poly(ethylene terephthalate) resin having comonomer modificationgreater than about 2.2 mole percent of a combination of a non-ethyleneglycol diol component and a non-terephthalic acid diacid component. 41.A method as in claim 40 wherein the repeat units from thenon-terephthalic acid diacid component are 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylicacid and present in the PET Copolymer in an amount from about 0.1 toabout 1.0 mole percent and wherein the repeat units from thenon-ethylene glycol diol component are diethylene glycol and present inthe PET Copolymer in an amount from about 0.1 to about 2.0 mole percent.42. A method as in claim 40 wherein the preform has a stretch ratio inthe range from about 8 to about
 12. 43. A method as in claim 40 whereinthe preform has a stretch ratio in the range from about 8 to about 10.44. A method for making a container comprising blow molding an injectionmolded preform (a) having an open ended mouth forming portion, anintermediate body forming portion, and a closed base forming portion,and (b) comprising a PET Copolymer comprising a diol component havingrepeat units from ethylene glycol and a non-ethylene glycol diolcomponent and a diacid component having repeat units from terephthalicacid and a non-terephthalic acid diacid component, wherein the totalamount of non-ethylene glycol diol component and non-terephthalic aciddiacid component present in the PET Copolymer, is in an amount fromabout 0.2 mole percent to less than about 2.2 mole percent and the PETCopolymer is based on 100 mole percent of the diol component and 100mole percent of the diacid component.
 45. A method as in claim 44wherein the repeat units from the non-terephthalic acid diacid componentare 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid and present in the PET Copolymer inan amount from about 0.1 to about 1.0 mole percent and wherein therepeat units from the non-ethylene glycol diol component are diethyleneglycol and present in the PET Copolymer in an amount from about 0.1 toabout 2.0 mole percent.
 46. A method as in claim 44 wherein the preformhas a stretch ratio in the range from about 8 to about
 12. 47. A methodas in claim 44 wherein the preform has a stretch ratio in the range fromabout 8 to about
 10. 48. A method for making a preform for use in makingcontainers comprising injection molding a PET Copolymer comprising adiol component having repeat units from ethylene glycol and anon-ethylene glycol diol component and a diacid component having repeatunits from terephthalic acid and a non-terephthalic acid diacidcomponent, wherein the total amount of non-ethylene glycol diolcomponent and non-terephthalic acid diacid component present in the PETCopolymer is in an amount from about 0.2 mole percent to less than about2.2 mole percent, and the PET Copolymer is based on 100 mole percent ofthe diol component and 100 mole percent of the diacid component.
 49. Amethod as in claim 48 wherein the repeat units from the non-terephthalicacid diacid component are 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid and presentin the PET Copolymer in an amount from about 0.1 to about 1.0 molepercent and wherein the repeat units from the non-ethylene glycol diolcomponent are diethylene glycol and present in the PET Copolymer in anamount from about 0.1 to about 2.0 mole percent.
 50. A method as inclaim 48 wherein the preform has a stretch ratio in the range from about8 to about
 12. 51. A method as in claim 49 wherein the preform has astretch ratio in the range from about 8 to about 10.